The Wake Forest Demon Deacons are No. 65 in the Orlando Sentinel 2017 preseason college football rankings. Wake earned seven wins in 2016 and has been competitive, but the team needs more athletes with big-play potential to move up in the tough ACC Atlantic Division.

Look back: Dave Clawson and the Demon Deacons were able to overcome the WakeyLeaks ordeal, one of college football’s most quirky scandals last season, to win seven games in his third season at the helm.

The on-field improvement came after consecutive three-win seasons despite a former assistant and team radio host leaking game-planning information to opposing teams.

Wake stormed out to a 5-1 start last season, played Florida State close during a 17-6 loss in Tallahassee and finished the season with the first bowl victory in eight years.

With the majority of his team returning in 2017, Wake Forest hopes to take the next step in order to compete with potent Clemson, Florida State and Louisville in the ACC’s Atlantic Division.

Strengths: Despite going 0-9 against Clemson, Florida State and Louisville during Clawson’s tenure, Wake Forest has shown it is capable of staying in contention with the heavyweights in its own division. As ESPN.com pointed out: Wake has been within a touchdown of Florida State in each of the past two seasons; outscored Clemson 13-7 in the final 42 minutes of their matchup last season despite losing 35-13 and was outscored by only nine points (50-41) by Louisville in the past 11 quarters of play before a 34-0 fourth quarter led to a blowout last season.

The Demon Deacons might not have the talent to overcome the top three teams, but they could continue to make significant progress with a majority of the roster returning in 2017.

Weaknesses: One of the major reasons Wake Forest is unable to get over the hump is its lack of play-making ability on offense. Last season, the Demon Deacons ranked second-to-last in total offense in the ACC.

Quarterbacks Kendall Hinton and John Wolford bring experience, but lack consistency because of poor offensive line play and injuries during their careers. Standout running backs Matt Colburn and Cade Carney, and receivers Tabari Hines and Cortez Lewis were also stifled at times last season as a result.

DE Duke Ejiofor’s return bodes well, after losing LB Marquel Lee and CB Brad Watson from last season. Ejoifor, who had 10.5 sacks last season, could be one of the most productive defensive ends in the ACC this season.

But the Wake Forest defense will take some time to adjust under new coordinator Jay Sawvel.

Outlook: Despite improving to win seven games last season, Wake Forest could face an uphill climb early next season.

Wake opens the season with stiff challenges against Boston College, Utah State and Appalachian State before getting into the meat of their daunting ACC schedule.

While Clawson’s team has the returning pieces on both sides of the football looking to take the next step in 2017, the Demon Deacons lack overall talent and play-making ability needed to contend in the ACC’s Atlantic Division for at least another season.

Orlando Sentinel college insider Matt Murschel ranked all 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country ahead of the 2017 season. The Sentinel staff provides a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 130 to our projected No. 1 team. See all the rankings at OrlandoSentinel.com/rankings.